5 Steps for Easing the Skilled Nursing Transition

For many family members, placing a loved one into a skilled nursing community has been a decision that weighs heavily over a long period of time while watching their family member’s health slowly deteriorate. For others, the unexpected onset of a debilitating disease or injury necessitates a quick decision in choosing a community to meet the care needs of their family member. Regardless of the circumstances, it’s important to make the transition for both the incoming resident and their family as seamless as possible.

There are 5 steps you can take to ease the transition into your skilled nursing community. Begin with:

Involving the family members in the development of the care plan for the resident on admission. If they feel that their input is considered in managing their loved one’s care needs, it will go a long way to avoid potential conflicts down the road.

Scheduling a follow up meeting with the family a few weeks after admittance to determine their satisfaction with the environment and the care provided to date.

Notifying the family as soon as possible if there is a lapse in following the agreed to care plan which results in illness and/or injury to a resident. Identify the issue that occurred, what’s being done to rectify the situation and avoid a reoccurrence of the breach in care.

Educating family members on the day-to-day life in the community to help them develop realistic expectations of the level of care provided to their loved ones. While the resident may have been provided one-on-one care at home – which is improbable at any community – everything will be done to ensure the resident’s successful adjustment to the new surroundings and lifestyle at their new home.

Encouraging open communication with staff members on all issues involving their family member’s care. Make sure that staff are adequately trained to listen to the family’s concerns, addressing the situation with immediate action, if warranted, or working with the family on a solution to remedy the perceived problem as soon as possible.

Providing support to a family in the admission process and throughout the resident’s stay at the community will result in the best possible outcome for all involved parties.

To learn more on risk management for your skilled nursing community, contact a member of the ‘A’ Team.

Kathy Hultgren is a Senior Account Manager at Assurance, focusing on long-term care and senior living. With over 30 years in the insurance industry, Kathy has developed strong underwriter relationships in order to negotiate the lowest premiums for clients. She continually accommodates clients’ day-to-day service needs through a very hands-on, dependable approach. Kathy graduated from Valparaiso University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. In 2002, she was named Assurance’s Employee of the Year for her hard work and dedication to the client values set forth by the company.